NATO Begins Largest Military Exercises Since the Cold War |
Some ninety thousand troops from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries are slated to participate in Steadfast Defender 24, monthslong military drills that kicked off (Reuters) yesterday. They are the largest such NATO drills since the end of the Cold War, reflecting the alliance’s expansion and heightened state of alert since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yesterday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reaffirmed Hungary’s support (FT) for Sweden’s accession to NATO, paving the way for the alliance to gain another member following the Turkish parliament’s approval this week of Sweden’s bid.
The NATO military drills will run through May and simulate the alliance’s response to an attack on any of its members. The drills began with the deployment of a U.S. warship to Europe yesterday. In all, some fifty ships, eighty planes, and more than one thousand combat vehicles are expected (AFP) to participate.
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“European leaders are waking at long last to our dangerous new world. Out is the pleasant fiction that history ended with the Cold War,” the Wall Street Journal editorial board writes. “In is the realization that Europe faces many new threats, and must provide for its own defense.”
“The first large-scale war of aggression in Europe since World War II has reinvigorated the alliance, which now has more member states and greater geographic cohesion than ever before. NATO’s renaissance comes just in time—it may soon face an entirely new geopolitical landscape that will once again test its cohesion and adaptability,” the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies’ Jo Inge Bekkevold wrote for Foreign Policy in 2023.
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South Korean Lawmaker Attacked in Seoul |
An unidentified assailant struck (Yonhap) People Power Party member Bae Hyun-jin in the head while she was walking in Seoul today, her office said. She was taken to the hospital, but the injury is not thought to be life-threatening. The attack comes some three weeks after the leader of the opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, was stabbed in the neck.
Taiwan: New military recruits began serving (Reuters) a one-year compulsory military service today for the first time. In late 2022, Taiwan’s president announced the mandatory conscription period would extend from four months due to rising tensions with China.
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Macron to Talk Global Conflict, Nuclear Power on State Visit to India |
French President Emmanuel Macron begins (Nikkei) a two-day state visit to India today that is due to include talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral defense and nuclear power deals. The two leaders are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and a proposed India-Mideast-Europe Economic Corridor.
Sri Lanka: Lawmakers passed (AP) an internet content regulation law yesterday that would allow a government commission to order takedowns of “prohibited statements.” Free speech advocates and opposition lawmakers criticized the bill, saying it empowers censorship of freedom of expression during an election year.
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Middle East and North Africa |
FT: U.S. Asked China to Press Iran to Decrease Houthi Attacks |
Senior U.S. officials have urged China to pressure Iran to rein in attacks by Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping vessels, unnamed U.S. officials told the Financial Times. Yesterday, China’s foreign ministry said it called for an end to “disturbance to civilian ships” in the waterway but also urged “relevant parties to avoid adding fuel to the fire,” in what appeared to be veiled criticism of recent U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) responsive attacks on the Houthis.
In this episode of The President’s Inbox, Katherine Zimmerman discusses the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping.
Israel/Palestinian territories/UK: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron traveled (NYT) to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials yesterday. He raised the issue of humanitarian protections in the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, UK officials said. Yesterday, explosions damaged (BBC) a UN facility in the southern Gaza Strip where people were sheltering, killing at least twelve people. Israel’s military said it had ruled out the possibility it was an Israeli strike.
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Russia’s Putin Hosts Chad’s Junta Leader in Moscow |
Chadian transitional President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno was due (AFP) to discuss the potential for developing bilateral relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit yesterday. Chad is France’s last remaining counterinsurgency and military partner in the African Sahel region after French troops were forced to pull out of Mali in 2022 and Burkina Faso and Niger in 2023.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo looks at Russia’s growing footprint in Africa.
Tanzania: The political opposition held (Reuters) its first major protest in years yesterday to call for a reduction of presidential powers and reform of an election commission ahead of a general election next year. Last year, President Samia Suluhu Hassan ended a ban on most political assemblies that had been in place since 2016.
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EU Begins Dialogue With Agriculture Sector Following Protests |
The European Union (EU) began (Bloomberg) a strategic dialogue with farmers in the bloc today to address grievances over new agricultural regulations, including green policies and subsidy cuts. Farmers have held strikes and protests in several European countries in recent weeks as some are facing the threat of bankruptcy amid the policy changes. |
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Opposition to Milei’s Reforms See General Strike, Congressional Bill Delayed |
Today’s congressional vote on Argentine President Javier Milei’s austerity measures was delayed (Bloomberg) to next week due to a lack of consensus among lawmakers. Yesterday, Argentine unions led a general strike against Milei’s economic reforms, causing many flights to be canceled (Buenos Aires Herald). An exact date for next week’s vote was not immediately announced.
For Foreign Affairs, Bruno Binetti discusses how Milei could change Argentina.
Colombia: The country’s inspector general suspended (Reuters) Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva Durán for three months over suspected irregularities in a contract to produce passports. The foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the suspension.
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FAA to Halt Production of Boeing 737 but Allow Inspected Planes to Fly |
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it is blocking (CNBC) a planned production expansion of Boeing 737 Max planes following a door blowout incident earlier this month, but is approving protocol for existing Max 9 planes to return to service once they are inspected. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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